Alim

(English version of an Ifugao epic)

In the olden days, the people angered the gods and the goddesses because of their sins and continued disobedience to the will of the gods. The gods sent a great flood that submerged the whole earth and destroyed all the living creatures, plants and animals alike. There were only two people who survived the flood. They were brother and sister, Wigan and Bugan respectively. When the water started to rise which later became the great flood, Wigan climbed the Amuyaw Mountain to save himself. Likewise, Bugan fled to the Kalawitan Mountain to take refuge.

Bugan stayed at the mountain until the water receded and the water soaked ground had dried up. He came down the mountain and discovered that he alone had survived. Everybody got drowned, even the animals. Dead bodies were scattered everywhere, stinking. As he walked around looking for something to eat, he saw a woman half buried to the ground, waving her hand at him. Then he recognized her.

Bugan! he said happily as he opened his arms to embrace her.

Wigan, my brother, she said choking because of the feeling she could not contain. She let him hug and embraced her and she leaned her head on her chest.

Where are the others? Wigan asked her after the embrace.

Dead, she answered, all dead. It seems that we are the only ones who survived the flood.

They walked around to see if they cound find some more survivors but they did not find any. All they saw were dead bodies of men, animals and even plants.

They scouted for a place where they could comfortably stay. They found a place near the shore where plants starting to grow. They built a small hut from the woods scattered around by the great flood. Then they buried the stinking dead bodies the found near the shore.

Part of a larger epic cycle, the Hudhud, this work is sung among the Ifugao people of the Philippines. Its primary subject is the Ifugao pantheon.

See also the Tagalog version of this epic.